Conor Oberst to Retire Bright Eyes?

Final LP due next year?

"It does feel like it needs to stop at some point. I'd like to clean it up, lock the door, say goodbye." That's what Conor Oberst told Rolling Stone last month, talking about his musical moniker Bright Eyes.

Now, Oberst's hometown paper, The Omaha World-Herald, reports that Oberst plans to retire the Bright Eyes name after one more album.

Robb Nansel, the president of Bright Eyes' label, Saddle Creek, told the World-Herald, "I think he feels like Bright Eyes has a certain association, for better or worse. I think he's trying to distance himself a little bit from what that means to people." Nansel said that Oberst plans to record the album during the first half of next year, with a projected fall 2010 release date. So get those "The Calendar Hung Itself" live requests in ASAP.

Of course, Oberst is keeping busy no matter what name he chooses to go by. For the remainder of this year, he'll devote his time to Monsters of Folk, his supergroup with M. Ward, Jim James, and Mike Mogis. That group's debut album is out September 22 via Shangri-La in North America, Rough Trade in Europe, Spunk in Australia, and P-Vine in Japan. You can download a track from the record called "Say Please" at the Monsters of Folk website. He's also on the road with his Mystic Valley Band right now.